Sublime Systems Awarded Contract with U.S. Department of Energy for Next-Generation, Clean Cement Manufacturing Plant in Holyoke, Mass.

Sublime will draw on its up-to $87 million award from the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) to begin essential design and planning activities for its cement factory

SOMERVILLE, Mass.--Sublime Systems, a leader in clean cement technology, has finalized negotiations with the U.S. Department of Energy for an up-to $87 million award to establish its next-generation clean cement manufacturing facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts. This milestone enables Sublime to begin site engineering and design, site characterization, permitting, and workforce development initiatives in Holyoke, creating opportunities for good-paying jobs.

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Sublime's Holyoke plant is among 33 projects awarded a collective $6 billion through OCED’s Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP). This program aims to boost American competitiveness in next-generation clean manufacturing, positioning the U.S. as a leader in the transition to a cleaner industrial economy. Sublime's Holyoke facility will demonstrate full-scale operations of its breakthrough process, which eliminates pollution inherent in ordinary portland cement (OPC) production.

Today, OPC accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions, alongside significant nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur oxide (SOx), mercury, and particulate pollution. Sublime’s innovative electrochemical process entirely avoids these emissions while producing cement that matches OPC in strength and reliability.

Dr. Leah Ellis, CEO and Co-Founder of Sublime Systems, stated, “Sublime is developing the clean cement manufacturing technology of the future. As we scale up our domestic production with the DOE’s support, we'll work simultaneously to export this innovation around the globe and continue America’s long tradition of inventing essential technologies for the world. This completed award negotiation follows an extensive diligence process that vetted the transformative nature of Sublime’s technology, product, and ability to scale globally.”

Local Economic Impact and Domestic Production

Sublime’s Holyoke plant is expected to create 70-90 jobs spanning a wide range of skill and education levels. This project marks a significant economic opportunity for Holyoke, a former industrial hub historically known as the Paper City of the World. By increasing domestic cement production, Sublime aims to reduce reliance on imports, which currently account for 20% of U.S. cement consumption.

Through the scale-up of its technology, Sublime combines quality economic opportunity for American workers with a strengthened domestic supply chain for essential materials.

Partnerships and Industry Leadership

The proliferation of affordable, clean energy is sparking a second Industrial Revolution, positioning the U.S. to lead in clean manufacturing innovation. Sublime’s partnerships with global building materials leaders Holcim and CRH enable the development of future manufacturing plants. These facilities will integrate Sublime's breakthrough technology with the infrastructure of cement majors.

Sublime’s process, invented at MIT and commercialized with support from ARPA-E, has also received a DOE Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) grant. This grant will accelerate the company’s ability to use industrial wastes as cement feedstocks, highlighting the role of catalytic capital in driving new manufacturing innovations.

Sublime CEO Dr. Leah Ellis will speak on December 4th at the DOE’s Deploy24 conference alongside other leaders from the agency and OCED, focusing on the transformative impact of clean industrial processes.

Sublime Systems

Sublime Systems is at the forefront of transitioning to clean cement manufacturing. Its groundbreaking electrochemical process avoids the pollution caused by ordinary portland cement’s use of fossil-fueled kilns and limestone feedstock. Sublime Cement™ is a direct 1:1 replacement for OPC, offering a cost-competitive and scalable path to clean cement manufacturing.

Founded at MIT by Dr. Leah Ellis and Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang, the company operates a pilot plant in Somerville, MA, with a >250 TPY nameplate production capacity. Sublime is now developing its 30,000 TPY first commercial facility in Holyoke, MA, with over $200M in funding from top investors and cooperative agreements with the U.S. Department of Energy.